Albert W. Wu, MD, MPH: Humanizing Health Care Through Policy, Outcomes, and Community Connection
Albert W. Wu, MD, MPH, is a trailblazer in patient safety, quality improvement, and health services research. As the Fred and Juliet Soper Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management, Wu’s work spans disciplines and continents. Yet at the heart of his efforts is a deep belief in humanizing health care—by elevating patient voices, supporting health care workers, and addressing the needs of communities beyond hospital walls.
Wu has long been recognized for his work integrating patient-reported outcomes (PROs) into clinical systems, developing some of the earliest tools to capture how patients feel and function because of care. However, his influence reaches far beyond the clinic or research lab. “Public health can’t be separated from the lived experience of patients, and their families and caregivers. It’s not only about systems; it’s about stories," Wu says.
From Global Health Systems to Local Networks
Wu’s early work focused on global health and clinical trials for HIV/AIDS treatments, but in recent years, he has applied his expertise to transform health systems closer to home. As an HPM professor, he’s part of a department known for bridging rigorous research and tangible real-world impact.
Within HPM, Wu directs the Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research (CHSOR), where he mentors dozens of graduate students, clinicians, and public health scholars. Together, they explore how health care services are delivered, measured, and improved—often using PROs, administrative data, and implementation science.
One of his most influential contributions to the field of safety science is the conceptualization of the “second victim”—a term he introduced in 2000 to describe the emotional impact of medical errors on health care providers. This work created the Resilience in Stressful Events (RISE) program at Johns Hopkins Medicine, a peer support model now replicated worldwide. Yet, for Wu, supporting caregivers is only one side of the equation. Ensuring that patients and communities have access to equitable, coordinated care is also extremely important.
Connecting Health Care and Human Services
In 2013, Wu founded Baltimore CONNECT, a nonprofit network that links community-based organizations and clinical institutions to foster better health and social services coordination in Baltimore City. Now serving as its president, Wu envisioned the initiative as a bridge that helps residents access medical care and critical services like housing support, food access, mental health resources, and transportation.
“People don’t live in hospitals,” Wu said. “Their health is shaped by their neighborhoods, families, jobs, ability to get a ride to the doctor or understand their discharge paperwork.”
The Baltimore CONNECT network brings together more than 30 community organizations and institutions, creating shared referral systems and information pathways. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the network was essential in deploying masks, food, and health information into vulnerable communities—often faster than government or hospital systems could respond. The model has been praised for its agility and deep community trust.
This work reflects Wu’s broader vision for health care systems that are not only data-driven but compassion-driven. He has championed health information technology to integrate community resources directly into electronic medical records, allowing providers to refer patients to social services as easily as they would to specialists.
“We have the tools to build a truly connected health system,” Wu said. “But we also need to value community knowledge, community partners, and lived experience just as much as clinical expertise.”
A Vision for Public Health’s Future
At Hopkins, Wu is shaping the next generation of leaders in health policy, outcomes research, and systems design. He has served on numerous national panels, including with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and continues to influence patient safety discourse globally.
He was recently awarded the 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Community Service by the University, recognizing his long-standing dedication to equity and community collaboration. He also received the John M. Eisenberg Excellence in Mentorship Award from AHRQ, a testament to his decades of training public health scholars.
Looking ahead, Wu sees an opportunity to expand the integration of PROs and social determinants into population health tracking and clinical care. He advocates for investments in mental health support for health care workers, expanded use of community health workers, and patient-centered outcome measures that reflect diverse populations.
At the intersection of systems and stories, Albert Wu has created a model of public health that listens—to the patient struggling with chronic pain, the nurse coping with burnout, and the community leader striving to stock a food pantry. His career reminds us that care is not only a science—it’s an act of connection.
